people running through a sacramento mall. this happened after police say a brawl involving 20 people broke out in the food court. three teens were arrested and the stores went into lockdown. the mall reopened about an hour later. check out the reaction of this alabama football fan to his christmas gift. he thinks it's a hat, but the real present is what is inside. >> we are going to the game, pop! we are going to the game! >> i love this. they are going to the national championship game between al bam and notre dame. those tickets are not cheap. the game is sold out and if you find something on the resale market, you will pay at least $1,000 for a nosebleed seat. good for him. he is ecstatic. cnn newsroom continues right now

with don lemon. hey, don. . >> thank you very much. brooke is off today. a winter storm hammering the northeast with snow, sleet, and high winds after it barbed the south and spawned tornados and more misery. one of the tornados caught on camera. a walgreens in mobile, alabama, a tornado just churned through and josh holman was there when it happened. listen. >> i never have been in a war zone, but i'm sure this is what it looks like. all the stuff that is lifted off the buildings here. there were totes and things left in the trees. i was thankful i was alive. >> taken to carthy airport, a southwest airlines plane with 134 passengers skidded off the

runway and luckily no one was hurt. as the snow piles up, thousands of travelers are stranded as flights are canceled and the kids out in the snow seem to be enjoying all of this. we will look at how people are coping and what else is in store. chad? >> wind for the big cities, don. it is going to be just one of the days where the planes can't get out of the way of each other. we will have airport delays at la guardia and jfk and nuke. an hour and probably getting longer at some points. the snow for the city is done. it will be up into vermont and new hampshire and maine. that's the story. the snow is going to pile up here and places up here around maine, there is the bay of fundy right there. the whole black area is 20 inches of snow or more still to come. like you already have enough. buffalo and new york have about a foot.

fulton is the winner and loser. here are the airport delays. lauderdale is construction. jfk and la guardia and newark is slowing down because of the snow and wind. you have so many planes trying to get in one place. you have to separate them when the wind is coming in and the airlines don't like to worry and the airplanes don't like to get close to each other because of the snow and the wind. there you go. it will be a slow day today. people trying to get home and pack something to read. >> i know. it's a cliche. pack your patience. it's true. >> thank you. appreciate it. >> hard to believe it has been almost two weeks. the out pouring for a grieving community hasn't stopped since a gunman killed 20 children and seven adults in a newtown town. now they are asking people to stop giving the the overflow has been heart warming, but they are

overwhelmed by the volume. they are asking to donate items to those in need in other communities. >> about 200 teachers are in class learning how to handle firearms. it's part of a plan to have teachers defend themselves and protect children on school grounds. utah is one of the few states that allows teachers to carry concealed weapons in schools. the top gun lobby, he is teaching the class and spoke with them. listen. >> the actual first responders at sandy hook and columbine were the teachers themselves. they put their lives in front of these bullets and in front of the shooters. let's not disarm these folks. we are certainly not training them to roam the hall ways looking for the shooter. we want to institute this conceal carry option in line

with the district policies or school policies for the lockdown. when the lockdown fails, when the shooter gets into the classroom, the teacher doesn't need to do a lot of tactical training to access and engage a firearm pointed at the shooter that is to ten feet away and press the trigger. alleviating the option of jumping in front of the kids to soak up the bullet. >> cara costello talked with david keene about the move to arm teachers. here's what he had to say. >> 23,000 schools today that have armed guards. private schools and public schools. cops in the school program was initiated in the 1990s by bill clinton. whether an individual school wants that protection or doesn't want that protection is really up to the individual school and when we made that statement, whether wayne la pierre spoke a week ago, what has to happen and should happen is in every school

district, administrators, teacher skpes parents should sit down and ask what's needed to protect the students in that school. others want private security guards. there may be places where they want volunteers to do it. we are willing to work with everybody on the questions. >> how do educators feel about giving teachers firearms training? bob hinky is a principal at mountain crest high school. how do you feel about this? >> well, i think the teachers have that right and so i feel like it's okay, but i have some things i'm very concerned about. i personally wouldn't carry a gun or get a concealed weapon myself. the concerns i have is the concealed weapons, i have a friend who just received his a couple of years ago and through the training, they never used a gun and had a gun in the class.

i worry about the training that they have to actually fire the firearm and to use it. without endangering others as well. so there things i'm concerned about, having a concealed weapon on campus of course is -- we have strict policies that relate to that to ensure everyone is safe and a teacher if they violated that policy because they don't want to put others at risk either. >> what about having the weapon in school and having a kid possibly have access to it. that opens the door for accidents. >> absolutely. that's one of the concerns. so our policy is that it has to be concealed and has to be out of sight. you have to have a permit. still a teacher can be overwhelmed by a student and they were carrying a gun.

there is definitely -- the safest place is note to have a gun obviously. i can understand on the teacher's side as well that -- and husbands and spouses and teachers who are concerned about the spouse going to school and teachers concerned about themselves and their students. i can understand that. it makes me nervous though. >> as we look at the video as you are talking, this is of newtown. you see the police rushing into the building on december 14th. you said teachers should have the right to defend themselves. personally you would not like it. what's the compromise. how do we fix this? >> well, we have a deputy and we have a full time security officer deputy on our campus. we talked the day of newtown when we started hearing the news of the situation and discussing what we could do to ensure our

school is saver and he carries a pistol, but doesn't feel like he can compete with that guy in newtown. we bought him a safe that is bolted to the ground in his locked office and he's the only one with the combination and he now has a high-powered automatic rifle in there. he's concerned that with the pistol and he's trained on a regular basis with that, they couldn't compete. i'm concerned about carrying a gun. if a police officer is concerned about having a pistol and not being able to compete with intruders, i don't feel like i would be prepared to do so. >> thank you. >> you're welcome. >> next up, new developments that affects all of us. we are talking about the tax increases and spending cuts that make up the fiscal cliff. es it d to breathe,

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with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine living your life with less chronic low back pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing skin or eyes. tell your doctor about all your medicines, including those for migraine and while on cymbalta, call right away if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles or serious allergic skin reactions like blisters, peeling rash, hives, or mouth sores to address possible life-threatening conditions. talk about your alcohol use, liver disease

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cliff. it's the podium, but it means a lot. it can tell us exactly where we are, how close we are to heading off the cliff. the reason you are seeing that is the house minority steps up to the microphones at any moment on the fiscal cliff situation. they should all be working on this right now. so not everybody is. a live picture of the press conference. a live picture of the capitol. five days away, the big tax hikes could kick in. we are now receiving word that the president, president obama will not send legislation to congress today that might avert the so-called fiscal cliff. the president pulled the plug on his holiday trip to hawaii and arrived in washington shortly after 11:00 in hopes of prodding congress to lock in taxes for all but the wealthiest 2%. so a republican source told us

he would be sending legislation to capitol hill, but the white house is telling us no, that is not the case. you have the president there at the white house. you have the senate in session and they are scattered throughout the country and taxes are going up on january 1st. let's listen to harry reid. he is not happy about the house and being away. he is the top senate democrat. >> we are here in washington working. we have the house of representatives out watching movies and watching their kids play soccer and basketball and doing all kinds of things. they should be here. >> here's a reality. reid said it's beginning to look to him as though we will plunge over the cliff come tuesday. they are keeping an eye on washington to see what develops. since it looks as though we are headed for higher taxes, i want to bring in terry savage, a

personal finance expert for the chicago sun times. terry, let's walk through the higher taxes. we heard little class families are likely to lose $2,000 a year. you break it down this way for single earners making $85,000 a year if their take home pay is $2500 every two weeks. when the higher taxes kick in, they will see their pay go down $120. that's not a little. we are taking a major hit. >> this is big money. almost $400 a month. when you add up a couple of biweekly paychecks. i have numbers from the tax people that might even be a little more depending on the deductio deductions. what do you give up when you have a few hundred less. you can't give up driving or eating. a lot of families -- if you have a family of four with a wife or

a husband earn 125,000 and one earning 100,000, they could have a bigger bite taken out. this is real money to american people. >> absolutely. $120 is $120 to anyone. for most of us. here's another example you gave us. a married couple, two kids, combined annual income of $250,000 a year. $250,000 a year. when the tax hike hits, their two-week take home shrinks by $600. they will have to make some changes. >> that's $1200 a month. that's the mortgage payment. >> hang on. let's get back to you. sorry about that. >> secretary geithner sent a letter to me and others yesterday and it was reported in the airplane today that america

will reach the debt limit on december 31st. that needs to be dealt with to maintain the credit worthiness of this nation to give competence to our economy. in addition that, there is much other business to do. over the past several weeks, they said that the house would do the work necessary to finish the items we need to get done by the end of the year. they are having a discussion on that at 2:30 on the call as we concluded and i speak for myself that we must come back as soon as possible we have to be sure

to address the legislation that is pending in this congress. congress which i believe has been the least. >> speaking and saying hey, they have to come back as soon as possible. america will reach the debt limit by december 31st. we will keep an eye on that and if it makes news, we will bring it to you. i want to get back down to terry. the example i was talking about that you gave us, a married couple and two kids, combined annual income of $250,000 a year. when the tax hike hits, their two-week take home shrinks by $600. many of them will have to make major changes. $600 is a lot of dough. >> they are expecting two paychecks that that's $1200 out of their check. it's most obvious to people who see their paychecks shrink.

they advised corporations and said the 2013 irs withholding are not up because they don't know what to withhold. you can go ahead and use last year's with holding or if you want to be safe, you can go back to the year 2000. it's not with holding federal income taxes, but the fica tax cut and now fica will go back up to 2% with holding. there is a laundry list of things. they can't agree on whether they should come back. there is a list so long, the child care and the alternative minimum and the capital gains tax and all the unemployment benefits that will expire in days. they are not worried about getting a smaller check, but no benefits into the new year. i can't believe with all american, we are wondering they can't agree to come back to work? >> you are working today and i'm working today and most of the people i know are working today

because we have to. we have to pay for these extra taxes that come in. a lot of people add a little bit extra to their principal and mortgage. some will be using that money that would ease their lives when it comes to retirement and now they have to use it. we assume we hit the fiscal cliff come january 1st. when would employers begin to adjust withholdings to reflect this new reality? when would you and i and americans feel it? >> some corporations are going to start on the first paycheck withholding back at the 2000 levels, taking more money out and the deduction will take 6% out. some will see it in the first paycheck and others are waiting and hoping. this is causing a giant mess. believe me for your boss as well as everybody who gets a paycheck. it's ridiculous. >> it is. thank you. appreciate it. >> thanks, don. >> celebrities who are putting a

spotlight on giving. how matthew conaughey is pushing back on fitness. i need you. i feel so alone. but you're not alone. i knew you'd come. like i could stay away. you know i can't do this without you. you'll never have to. you're always there for me. shh! i'll get you a rental car. i could also use an umbrella.

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. welcome back. this week we are profiling celebrities that are more than their day jobs. singing and dancing. big stars and big giving. matthew mcconaughey shows us how he is giving back. he started a foundation to help kids live healthier lives. we caught up with him to find out more about that as well as dramatic weight loss for a movie role. >> i want something philanthropic or charitable. i want it on my desk every monday morning. i need to follow it and build and track. >> matthew mcconaughey, movie star. >> i'm benjamin barry. >> started to think about how he could give back. >> i said i want to find a place where i can help out and it's prevention before you need a

cure. that led me to kids. >> 30 more seconds to warm up. >> for led him to high schoolers and kids at a cross roads. >> freshman year in high school. a little odd because you came from being the big dog. >> it led him and his wife to start the jk living foundation. just keep live in. now go on the end because life is a verb. >> he doesn't just provide support to existing programs, but create and funds its own after school curriculum. in 14 schools with high poverty rates nationwide. >> break a sweat. learn to eat healthy and say thank you. that's sort of the three monikers. >> they eat twice a week, two hours a day, like 16-year-old ortega. >> we have monthly goals. ied say i'm going to lose five pounds, when i lost five pounds, i felt great.

>> working out, it's a great stress reliever. it takes off the pain and takes your mind off of a lot of things that happen. >> if you can get them there and start good habits that maybe they didn't have or maintain good habits they already had, they have a better chance of carrying them over. >> the gratitude circle. >> i am thankful for my best friends that i had. >> the opportunity to pursue a college education. >> besides the obvious, what's the really value? >> reciprocity. the things we show show gratitude for creates more things to be thankful for. >> like his success as an actor. >> i think i see a lot of lawbreakers in this house. that leads us to that dramatic weight loss. >> i'm the lightest i have been since i was i don't know, eighth grade. >> 38 pounds. >> the new film, dallas buyer's club. he plays an aids patient, a working actor with worldwide

fame and a conscious. >> i've got things. i'm one of the haves. there have nots. we are giving the fishing rod instead of a fish to a lot of these kids and thankfully they are taking it and coming back and customizing it in their life. that feels good. >> for more on matthew mcconaughey, livin, no g, foundation. for how you can help, go to our website. >> george hw bush is in a hospital in intensive care in houston. ahead, the latest n on his condition.

>> we want to update you on the condition of george hw bush who remains at a hospital this houston after a persistent slightly elevated fever. the bush family released a statement. following a series of setbacks including a persistent fever,

president bush was admitted to the intensive care unit in the intensive care unit on sunday. doctors are cautiously optimistic about the course of treatment and the president is alert and conversing with medical staff and is surrounded by family. the former president is relentlessly positive and joking with doctors and the family said it is confident he will be released from icu. miguel marquez joins us from outside the hospital. what's the latest? >> reporter: he is 88 years old so that is reason to worry. he has been in the hospital now for a little over a month. another reason to worry. he came in with bronchitis or an infection and it turned into this fever that won't go away and they can't quite brick. a spokesperson said they are treating it with tylenol and other means, but he said look, they put him in icu because they wanted to keep track of everything going on with the president. he has a couple of other issues

not related to this that he was in the hospital for initially. there is concern, but they believe the icu thing is almost being treated as though it's an abundance of caution. they sound hopeful that he will get out soon. a family friend spoke to john king who said he is in good spirits and joking and the same old jovial george bush they know. he wants to get out and i'm sure he is frustrated being couped up in the hospital this long. >> let's talk about doctors here. he was said to be doing a bit better. is there optimism that he will be released from intensive care soon and are doctors also sure about that? >> the hospital is not speaking on his behalf. they are leaving everything to the bush family. they want to be as respectful as possible. one thing the family wanted to say is that they appreciate all the concerns and the interest from people around the world.

he is doing okay and they expect him to get out of icu and to get back to his normal life. probably giving his wife barbara a hard time and his daughter dorothy visited him yesterday and son neal was here and grandson was also with him over the christmas holiday. he family around and had a lot of people here. it's not like he is on a ventilator or other things. he is pretty spry, hoping he can get beyond this fever and back to home. >> we certainly hope so. miguel marquez will be watching. thank you very much. hawaii's lieutenant governor brian schatz is being sworn in as the new senator replacing daniel inouye. he said the appointment of the 40-year-old is in the best interest of the party and the state of hawaii and the nation.

inouye had recommended colleen -- to replace him. the u.s. could be hitting the debt ceiling. up next, timothy geithner sounds the alarm on what congress should be doing now to avoid defaulting on debt. [ woman ] dear cat, your hair mixes with pollen and dust. i get congested. but now, with zyrtec-d®, i have the proven allergy relief of zyrtec®, plus a powerful decongestant. zyrtec-d® lets me breath freer, so i can love the air. [ male announcer ] zyrtec-d®. behind the pharmacy counter. no prescription needed.

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. so you think you have wrapped your head around the so-called fiscal cliff. good for you. here comes the debt limit. remember that? treasury secretary timothy geitner said the government will blow through the borrowing limit that congress set in 2011. he warned the window to act is narrow or else a treasury could default. in washington, lisa will walk us through. first, let's explain what exactly the debt limit is and it sounds like maxing out a credit

card, but not precisely so. >> that's right. it is not like maxing out your credit card. we are going to make it as interesting as possible. it is important. the debt limit is not like maxing out your credit card. this is money we spent as a nation. this is a lot more like buying a house. committing to a $200,000 house and signing the papers and imposing a rule on yourself that you can only borrow $100,000. you need $200,000 and you spent the money, but you have the cap that you imposed on yourself. that's what the debt limit is. we will look at where we are with this handy graphic. the debt limit is $16.394 trillion. where are we now? we are at 16.337. we are just under the limit. almost reached our capacity. >> getting that far, it's our

own fault and putting ourselves in this predicament. our own fault as well. listen. the debt, we were not supposed to reach the limit until february or march and it crept up faster than we thought. we hit it on monday, right? at least according to the treasury secretary. now what? >> there is a little asterisk. we would reach the debt limit monday except that the treasury and our treasurer, tim geitner have special powers. they have extraordinary measures. ways of moving around a huge pot of money to try to keep us under the debt limit. they are complicated and if you want to go to cnn.com, i explained them. the biggest one is freezing automatic borrowing that happens especially with the federal pension plan. it stops internal borrowing and keeps us under the debt limit, but it can't last forever. the treasury doesn't know how long the measures will allow us to keep operating. maybe two months and maybe less.

maybe a little more. it's unclear. >> okay. one way or another, this ties into the fiscal cliff mess that paralyzed lawmakers, correct? >> absolutely. president obama wanted to bundle up the fiscal cliff with this debt ceiling expanded and talk with the fiscal cliff. republicans didn't want to do that. that was part of the big negotiations. now that we are talking about the small deal, i think the debt ceiling is going to be a separate issue and probably we will have to be talking about this yet again in the spring. thankfully people who are watching right now will already know what's going on. >> lisa, thank you very much. there will be another change in president obama's cabinet heading into his second term. lisa jackson administrator for the environmental protection agency will be stepping out after the state of the union peach next month. jackson cited the epa's progress in food, water, and air quality

and also energy independence. jackson started at the agency as a scientist 25 years ago. humans of weapons show up in los angeles. from hand guns to revolvers and rifles and even assault weapons. just a sampling of guns traded for grocery gift cards. efull ap? who do you think i am, quicken loans? ♪ at quicken loans, our amazingly useful mortgage calculator app allows you to quickly calculate your mortgage payment based on today's incredibly low interest rates... right from your iphone or android smartphone. one more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze. ♪

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successful baseball managers in the past 40 years. >> they are just running into each other and i can't tell you how happy i am. never have been this happy in my life. >> just as he was reaching the pinnacle of his career, he began opening up about his childhood. growing up with an abusive father. >> my older sister ray came into the dining room with a knife protecting my mom and my dad was going into the drawer in the dining room to get his revolver. i did witness that. i still remember vividly going-over to my sister and grabbing the knife and putting it on the table. >> for young torre who was expected to be inducted into the hall of fame, baseball became his sanctuary. >> i had low self esteem. i played baseball and had an opportunity to go someplace to

hide. >> what are time do you have to be in class? >> today he is giving back. providing a real sanctuary for other abused children. >> the perpetrator do them favor when is we don't talk about things like this. awareness is so important in this. >> he and his wife started the safe at home foundation that dedicates spaces in school where kids can speak openly and get counseling about domestic violence. >> it's serious what's happening to kids and the people that are abused don't have advocates and we are trying to be those d voicates. >> t orks rrkorre names it marg place in honor of his mother. >> they bounce back, but i don't think they realize that it hurts them. i get choked up when i start talking about that. >> now retired from managing team, torre is overseeing

operations for major league baseball and giving his time to end violence. dr. sanjay gupta, cnn reporting. >> make sure you watch him on saturday at 4:30 eastern and sunday at 7:30 eastern. >> the guns poured in at the buy back event in los angeles. we told you about this at the memorial sports arena yesterday. people lined up waiting two hours to hand over their weapons in exchange for grocery gift cards. many dropped off just one gun, but some turned in multiple weapons. police took out 22 pistols from the trunk of one honda. that got a driver $1,000 in gift cards according to the "los angeles times." carol costello asked the president of the national rifle association what he thinks about people turning in guns. >> i wasn't in los angeles for the buy back, but if you offer me $100 for a $50 gun, i will sell it. >> some people said they just

wanted them out of their house. >> people have every right to own or not own a gun. that's what a free country is all about. >> the "los angeles times" also reports while a lot of people turned in guns, some admitted they still owned weapons. the stories that affect your bottom line to the new apple boss and the fiscal cliff. the biggest money stories of 2012, next.

>> 2012 was a big year for business from apple's new world to facebook's ipo in fears over the fiscal cliff. we countdown the biggest business stories of the year.

it can sti invent things we didn't buy, faster than any technology. number nine, the u.s. stock market despite all the worries about the fiscal cliff, the stock market had a great year. >> number eight. facebook's i pshlpo. investor diagnosis not. trading glitches and questions about the company's ability to make money on mobile users unload the stock which has yet to climb back to the ipo price. >> number seven, mother meyer. the new ceo of yahoo who announced she would take a two-week maternity leave. 37 years old and it looks like a mother's touch is what yao ya

hoo needed. >> an intense drought that scorched the corn and soy crop sending prices sky high. who can forget super storm sandy. neighborhoods along the northeast swept away millions without power and damages as high as $50 billion brings in lots of questions about u.s. infrastructure and whether we should spend money to fix it. >> number five, china. for sure by 2030. >> china. >> china getting more than a few mentions during the presidential campaign probably because it's clear they are both a competitor and a partner. >> number four, europe. the european union was fractured by too much debt and the austerity plans to fix it. that saga is far from over. number three, the housing market. finally bottomed out.

the combination of low home prices and continued record low mortgage rates set off a building and buying spree. they bought entire neighborhoods, but first time buyers got a home of their own as long as they had a hefty down payment. >> number two. >> cnn projects that barack obama will be reelected president of the united states. >> the election. more than just about obama and romney, it was about socialism and capitalism and spending and cutting and what kind of role government should have in your life. >> number one is the fiscal cliff. lawmakers saw it coming and didn't bother to pay any attention to it until after the election. had they put politics aside and dealt with it earlier, who knows how strong the u.s. economy would be right now. >> and make sure you join me for the biggest stories of the year in crime, politic, money and the

most scandalous stories. the top ten of 2012, 8:00 eastern. a teen battling a terminal illness uses lyrics instead of letters to say goodbyes. >> it's kind of me always being there for him. like if they keep singing that song throughout their life, it will be worth it. >> this teen's final wish, next. s that will make it drop over, and over again. ♪ from jammin' jerk chicken, to creamy gouda bisque. see what's new from campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine living your life with less chronic low back pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior

or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing skin or eyes. tell your doctor about all your medicines, including those for migraine and while on cymbalta, call right away if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles or serious allergic skin reactions like blisters, peeling rash, hives, or mouth sores to address possible life-threatening conditions. talk about your alcohol use, liver disease and before you reduce or stop cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. ask your doctor about cymbalta. imagine you with less pain. cymbalta can help. go to cymbalta.com to learn about a free trial offer. aww man. [ male announcer ] returns are easy with free pickup from the u.s. postal service. we'll even drop off boxes if you need them.

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a teen battling terminal cancer. couldn't find the words to say goodbye to his friends and family. traveling to lakeland, minnesota to meet the teen remaining on his his days with a song and a smile. ♪ "avatar" zack's soul is filled with lyrics racing against time to get out.

>> zack was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer that targets teenagers and he had ten surgeries and endless chemotherapy and mostly bad news. zack's doctor told him he has only months to live. his mom suggested he start writing goodbye letters to family and friends. >> can't sit down and write a letter. i tried. i decided to pick up my guitar and play. >> that's how his song called clouds was born. a goodbye to those he loves. >> you want to leave a melody behind. >> i do. >> you think that will help them cope? >> it's kind of me always being there for them. if they keep singing that song throughout their whole life, i will be right next to them the whole way. >> zack can't stop writing lyrics. there so many songs he wants to leave behind.

you have to live life fast and put on the brakes at all. i can't wait for anything. o so that's like one of the things people say hold on, we have to wait for this. i can't. let's go. >> tomorrow what do i do? >> he is a senior at stillwater high school and goes to class, but told his teachers he wouldn't be doing homework this year. making it to graduation would be a gift. >> i haven't seen you stop smiling. >> why not? might as well smile. >> here wants his song to raise awareness about childhood cancer, but it's a reminder that the end is near. >> it makes you cry. it's the lyrics and having him actually articulate it and say this is what it is and this is what i believe, it's a tough thing to hear from a kid. >> he's leaving a legacy behind and inspiring so many people.

that is more than any of us will be able to do. >> when you look at your friends and you look at your family and sisters, what do you think? >> in all honesty, i'm sorry for them. i get to leave and i don't have to deal with any of this, but they have to keep on living and deal with it. >> turning the heartache of cancer into unforgettable melodies is zack's final wish on this long goodbye. cnn, lakeland, minnesota. we will get to the fiscal cliff. five days away from the tax hike. as you probably know, the president pulled the plug on his holiday trip to hawaii and arrived back in washington after 11:00 this morning in hopes of

locking in taxes as they are right now for all but the wealgyest 2 percewealgy e wealthiest 2%. the house is telling us no, that is not the case. i got jessica yellen standing by and we have dana barb who is standing by and they are there on capitol hill. what is the mix up between sending a plan and not sending a plan by the president? >> hi, john. the bottom line is both sides want to take action and before senat senator mcconnell decides whether to filibuster the measure and whether the other republicans in the party will filibuster, they have to see the details in the proposal. will there be an estate tax provision? how will unemployment which is

expected to be extended? will it be paid for? what spending measures will be in this and spending cuts, etc. there will be more details spelled out and where will that come from? will it come from a phone call and staff here at the white house and spelled out by the staff of the senate majority leader harry reid. all that was is yet to be determined. perhaps senator connell's office believes it will come from different sources and there is a lot of potential for confusion with such little time left and so much pressure on the line. dana might have more information. >> a lot of -- if this happens that happens. you are right. hey, dana,y want to go to you. across the wire the house may be coming back into session on sunday, but do we know, is there movement towards getting there? is that confirmed? >> yes, we have it confirmed.

i apologize. there is a conference call going on right now with house republican leaders and the rank and file where they are discussing the next steps. that is something they announced moments ago to republicans that they should prepare to come back to washington and be here on sunday to reconvene before the end of the year before that deadline approaches that. does not necessarily mean that there is going to be anything for them to vote on. the democrats have taken advantage political of the fact that the democratic-led senate came back today and the house is not yet here. the republicans and the house say it's because the ball is in the senate's court, but the optics of the house maybe not so great. >> you are right. it's about optics. if they are not there, it's easy to say we went over the fiscal cliff and we were here in washington working. that's what they are trying to get across here. coming back on sunday maybe

doesn't look as bad when they were at work earlier in the week. we want to you listen to something harry reid said. a top senate democrat as you know. take a listen. >> john boehner caring more about keeping his speakership than keeping them on financial footing. it's obvious what's going on around here. he is waiting until january 3rd to get reelected to speaker before he gets serious about the negotiation. >> okay. dana, you don't have to translate that. it's about the blame game. >> of course it's all about the blame game. >> digging through, i know you were talking about any scaled back piece of legislation would look like and reports they got from republicans and the president told mitch mcconnell that he would get the details. that's where from the perspective of republicans where things stand. the president publicly said before he left for his vacation in hawaii since everything else

was deadlocked, despite everybody's efforts, because of that what he wants to happen is for the very least for congress to pass a tax cut extension for 98% of americans. his plan which he campaigned on for five years. mitch mcconnell spoke to the president as did the other leaders before the president left hawaii. what mcconnell aide is still saying is that the impression he got is that the white house would or at least some democrat whether it's the white house or harry reid's office would provide the details of what that legislation would look like. they said with tongue firmly in cheek, we checked in a process conference and it can't get through the senate. we need to see if anything will get done and at the same time jessica is hearing from white house sources, i am hearing for democratic sources that they are pushing the ball squarely in the republican court and saying mitch mcconnell, the house

speaker john boehner needs to work out what could get through before we do anything. that's a long way of saying yes, the blame game is full force which probably is quite disturbing to people looking at the clock ticking and the calendar. ripping towards december 31st and they are losing chunks of their paychecks. >> as we look at the day, that is a good way to get it. it's five days away. it moves just in -- things move slowly in washington. the tax hikes of coming. is there anything the president can do now. what can be done in this short period of time? >> look, he could call the leaders to the white house and have a meeting and press them to get something done. he could use the bully pulpit to speak to the american people and we have seen this in the past with a payroll tax cut fight and call on the american people to lobby congress and press them to do something in these final

hours. that's been effective in the past. that's his sort of most effective tool at this point is lobbying the american people for action. the white house said the president has been very clear and they argue with his position and he was clear and laid out what he wanted last week. the briefing room repeated it on friday and now it's time for congress to act. they say there is still enough time if everybody gets on the same page. we will see if he brings them over here to get them on the same page in the next couple of days, don. >> you guys will be busy for quite sometime now. thank you, dana. thank you, jessica. appreciate it. >> from the storm brewing in washington, we talk about the east coast and other storms getting snow and sleet. winter storms blast the area from maryland to maine. more than a foot of snow is

expected in some areas before it's all over. here's what it looks like today. portland, maine as road clearings began. it's part of a system that was born in the deep south and strong winds before pummelling the midwest as well. check out this tornado caught on camera at a walgreens store in mobile, alabama. goodness. you may be able to spot the wind. picks up two cars and slams them down and no one was seriously injured. thousands of travelers are stranded as hundreds of flights are canceled. thank goodness we have our meteorologists tracking the storm. what do you have? >> the snow moved north and it's just now really beginning into parts of ontario and quebec and here to new brunswick. the heavy really is coming now. it will snow all night in maine and for the most part people want to play in it anyway. this is what you have in mind.

what i have in mind for 48 hours. the heaviest snow is well north of the coast. you only have to get about three miles inland from the coast to get where the heavy snow will dump because of the elevation change. big time snow with 20 inches still to come on top of the snow that some people already have. the big problem with the area we have seen in new york, snow there on the ground already. it's the wind that is causing the problems now. airport delays from la guardia and newark all over an hour. montreal airport is done, not bringing planes in or out for now. they need to clear the runway and they call it 40 centimeters of snow. get a meter stick and see how much that is. that's plenty to not get around well and still coming down for the next aits to ten hours in montreal at the same rate you are seeing now. an" r inch or two per hour coming down hard. >> per hour.

appreciate it. >> point, aim, shoot. it's a lesson some teachers in utah are getting today. utah is one of a few states that allow teachers to carry concealed weapons in schools. more after the break. by blocking some of the fat you eat. let's fight fat with alli. ♪ anyone have occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating? yeah.

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. it has been nearly two weeks since the shooting rampage at sandy hook left 20 children and six adults dead. it has been ignite and we heard the nra call for armed guards in schools. we have seen a new york newspaper publish a map with the names of registered hand gun owners. that got the nra fired up. they spoke with carol costello and he said it's unfair and unsafe to name gun owners. >> these are all upstanding citizen who passed tests and have their own firearms and by listening, they do two things. most guns are either bought on the black market or stolen. if you are a criminal looking for a gun, you just have been given a map to where you find some. the paper said you would like

the makes of guns that people own. have you in essence a catalog. it also tells you who isn't armed and therefore if you are not seeking a gun, but seeking television sets and the like through burglary, you know where to go. i think it was completely irresponsible and while it is probably not legally actionable, the fact is that this newspaper did this knowingly for the purpose of trying to demonize gun owners because they don't happen to believe in firearms. that's their right, but mistreating private individuals is not. >> the fact that the brady center agrees with you that this newspaper should not have done this, does that say to people who are yearning for a sort of compromise between gun control advocates and gun rights advocates that we can agree on at least something? >> there is always something you can agree on.

when we get to the basic question of whether americans and the second amendment have a right to purchase and own firearms legally for lawful purpose, i don't think we will get to an area of agreement. we can agree on some things and at least we can agree that people who exercise their rights who have no reason to be suspected of having done anything wrong shouldn't be demonized because some paper disagrees with them. i think we can agree on that and what's important is that as we have this conversation in the days following the newtown massacre, the conversation should be rational. >> in utah, 200 public school teachers necessary class today learning how to handle firearms and practicing with plastic hand guns. a special training is being offered by the top gun lobby and waived the $50 fee. that's one of the few states

that allowed weapons to be carried at schools. the principal told me that since the sandy hook school massacre his school made changes. you said teachers should have the right to defend themselves and personally you would not like it. what is the compromise here? how do we fix it? >> you know, we have a deputy and a full time security officer deputy on your campus. we talked the day of new and started hearing the news of that tragic situation. we started discussing what we could do to ensure our school is safer and his comment was that he carries a pistol with him at all times. he doesn't feel like he can compete with some of these people like that guy in newtown. we bought him a safe that is bolted to the ground in a locked office. he is the only one with a combination and has a high

powered automatic rifle in there. he is concerned that just with a pistol, he is trained on a regular basis that he couldn't compete. >> he also said that army teachers makes him nervous and he himself would not carry a gun. from coast to coast, donations and gifts just keep pouring in in newtown. it's too much of a good thing. why town officials are now asking for people to stop giving. a thing at all? it's lots of things. all waking up. ♪ becoming part of the global phenomenon we call the internet of everything. ♪ trees will talk to networks will talk to scientists about climate change. cars will talk to road sensors will talk to stoplights about traffic efficiency. the ambulance will talk to patient records

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mubarak has been transferred to a military hospital for medical treatment. he suffered head and rib injuries when he slipped in a prison hospital earlier this month. he fractured three ribs in the fall. the 84-year-old leader is serving a sentence for his in the deaths of reform demonstrators. in the landlocked nation situate between chad, sudan and congo, the embassy in the capital is on high alert and now staff told to leave the country. un pulling out 200 personnel and

france is deploying soldiers around their embassy and all of this as a coalition advances on the capital. there has been increased activity by the lord's resistance and special forces are hunting infamous leaders and i want to bring in richard roth. there was a ceasefire, but it is not holding. what's the end goal for the rebel groups in central africa. >> i asked an african affairs expert on foreign relations. his answer, these rebels want money and power. don't look for anything more lofty than that. the central african republic is a country many americans and others don't hear that much about. they heard of the troubles in countries like the democratic republic of congo and sudan. it is the central african republic and many analysts say the inspiration for these certainly inspired by what has been going on in congo and this

is a mineral rich country loaded with uranium, gold, diamonds and there is a lot to shoot for. it has been a very unstable country for decades. coop after coop has been involved and there is has been a mission and things have been okay after elections, but now things are at a crisis. >> too unhappy with the rebel advance. they are targeting embassies. what's happening with the americans on the ground there now? >> the state department is urging anyone there now to leave the embassy. non-especially personnel or family members have been asked to get out and the un has done the same. there were dem stragonstrations at the french. they have a former french colony. they gained independence in the

60s and france's president said we are not getting involved. we will protect the french nationals. we have seen this before and other african crisis sometimes it escalated to genocide. nobody is helping or thinking that is going to happen now, but there have been so-called peace talks and if the rebels want to overcome government forcesings they seem to have had success in going towards the capital and elsewhere. >> richard roth, appreciate it. >> former president george hw bush in intensive care in a houston hospital. we have the latest on his condition, next. [ cellphone chirping ] [ buzzing ] bye dad.

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george hw bush, the nation's 41st president remains in intensive care at a hospital in houston with a persistent and slightly elevated fever. he was hospitalized for bronchitis more than a month ago.

the former president has been in the icu after suffering a series of setbacks. joining me now by phone is our chief medical correspondent sanjay gupta. it was expected the former president would be home for christmas and he is still in the icu. what does that tell you? >> someone goes to the icu it is often because there is nor diligence and consistent level of monitoring. they want to have for the patients. clearly it's a concern. someone goes from the general care and become a little bit more unstable in some way. needs more monitoring. those are typically the reasons. we have been talking b to a person from the office and they say the president is joke around with his doctors, talking to them. important quote there because not only does it speak to his disposition, but the concern

about bronchitis has not led to the need of a breathing tube. he doesn't need that. he can go home in a few days is what they expect. he is 88 years old and that's going to be of concern, but this sounds like a heightened sense of caution. >> more than anything, but the former president has been in the hospital for more than a month. to a lot of people, that long hospital stay sounds quite serious. his spokesman said he is in guarded condition. what exactly does that mean? what do you make of that? >> guarded is an interesting term. it's not a formal medical term and it's a purposely vague term. typically you think of someone in serious condition, for example or critical condition. those are medical terms. this is somewhere in between. it's to say that look, there are several different things going on with the president. all of which we have under control. we worry that any event can turn

at any moment. it could be his lungs, for example, with the bronchitis and neurological status. we don't know. when someone is in a guarded condition, it usually means we got several balls that we are juggling and keeping an eye on all of them. >> the spokesman said he is on a liquid diet. does that tell you anything? >> that's an interesting point. when someone goes from eating solid foods to liquids, it can be that there is concern about him protecting his airway. you think about him getting solid foods and if you are not protecting the airway, you could as operate. it goes down the wind pipe and the trachea. with liquids, you can lessen that chance. you have to make sure he gets enough calories. you can get plenty of calories into somebody in a liquid form. it's something to keep an eye

on. before somebody goes home, they often want the patient eating solid food again. when they transition him back to a solid food diet, that will be a good sign that he may be getting closer to getting out of there. >> sanjay gupta, thank you. >> happy holidays, don. thank you. >> you as well. . >> so if you have a gift or donation that you want to give to the grieving families in newtown, connecticut. hold on to them. the connecticut town is asking people to stop giving. officials say the overflow has been heart warming since the tragedy, but left 20 kids and seven adults dead, but they are overwhelmed by the volume. are they offering an alternative plan? >> generally, yes. specifically, no. you stood in the town square and you saw the teddy bears and all of the candles and the angels

and many sent 26 of them because of the number of people killed. it's just too much. they're asking that instead of sending more to the town, that they donate them to organizations and the thousands of children around the cocountry that would be comforted by a teddy bear. they have a warehouse full of these teddy bears and the cards and the angels and all of the trinkets being sent in. they are walking a difficult line because they don't want to appear to be ungrateful, but they want to get back to a level of normalcy. >> what do you do with all of this? the town is not big enough to absorb that. there not that many people there. we saw the memorials. i couldn't imagine this much stuff would be coming in, but you heard from the man in charge of the donations. what is he saying? >> his name is chris kelsey and he has a real job. he is the town assessor, but he has been made the intake manager

because the truck loads of items coming in every day. this is what he told us about what's happening at the warehouse. >> we are getting truck loads and truck loads of teddy bears and toys and office supplies and a little bit of everything. we still accept donations. we don't want to turn anything away, but we have plenty. there is no more need for teddy bears or toys or office splice. any donations call the united way. they are doing from what i'm told 100% fee-free. >> the united way is the suggestion, but they just can't take any more. they want to make these sidewalks passible again. and again they want to show the country and the world that we are grateful, but please don't send anything else. >> not only do they need to stop, but they are converting the remaining donations into soil? >> i don't know how this happens. we are trying to get an answer from public works. they are kind of compound them

and process them into soil for a permanent memorial that will happen in the next few weeks and months and they are starting to look over designs to make that happen. >> look at that. just unbelievable. i would imagine that all the flowers and the things, they can turn that into soil. >> some of it. >> the plastic and the teddy bears. >> maybe into bricks to build a monument. that's what they say they will use it for. >> it's nice to see the out pouring from people regardless of what it is even if it's too much. >> they appreciate it. >> absolutely. thank you. coming up here on cnn, how did we get to the fiscal cliff? again? it's embarrassing it's embarrassing! we can see you carl. we can totally see you. come on you're better than this...all that prowling around. yeah, you're the king of the jungle. have you thought about going vegan carl? hahaha!! you know folks who save hundreds of dollars by

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>> from the cnn money newsroom, before you ask, i have no idea whether we will get a deal or not. i have a pretty good idea as to

how we got into this pickle in the first place. we passed a bold package of tax relief for the famglys and businesses. >> it starts a decade ago when the president initiated a series of tax cuts for all americans, but a deal with the devil. the cuts that are ex-paid i don't want and costly to government expire in ten years's time. >> they're passed a package of tax relief and protect the middle class. >> when it came time for the cuts to expire, the u.s. is just emergeing for the worst recession since the great depression. president obama agreed to extend the tax cuts for two more years in exchange for congress extending federal emergency unemployment benefits. they are expensive if they are extended by 2020, they will be responsible for more than half the total national debt.

democrats insist that taxes go up for the wealthy and stay in place for those earning less than $250,000 a year. >> we need to stop the job killing tax hikes and stop cutting spending now. >> republicans refuse to play ball. they say no higher rates on the rich and no tax hikes on anyone. based on an ideology that calls for government to be as small as possible. the roots are as old as american politics, but philosophy's main spokesman is this man. grove norquist, whose pledge signed by almost all republicans in congress forbid them from raising taxes ever under any circumstances. things come to a head in the summer of 2011. republicans demand the government reduce its deficit as a condition for raising the nations's debt ceiling. without a deal, the u.s. would lose its ability to borrow money. they deploy the tactics that

nearly shut down the government and ultimaty cost america its aaa credit rating for the first time in history. in a last minute compromise, both sides agree to a trillion dollars in spending cuts up front and another $1.2 trillion in cuts to be decided by a special congressional super committee. a poison pill was attached. if the super committee can't reach a deal, automatic across the board cuts known as the sequester would go into effect starting january 2013. at the exact moment when the bush tax cuts extended for two years would expire. so the point is we could have seen this coming. we yelled at the top of our lungs that we were drowned out by the election. common sense often gets drowned out by seemingly endless and continuous elections in america. this time there may be a series price to pay for it. i will stay on top of this, but

for now i'm out. same time tomorrow. like a lot of things,

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far. >> american couples trying to adopt children are anxiously waitinga as it looks like vladimir putin bans all u.s. adoptions. president putin plans to study the final texts of the adoption ban, but sees no reason why he wouldn't sign it. hundreds have adoptions pending and rafael romo spoke with couple. >> jenny and aaron moyer describe the sweetest 4-year-old boy you could ever meet. >> he's our son in our hearts. >> he lives in an orphanage where they visited him a few months ago with the intention of adopting him. >> we know there is an orphan crisis with children with special needs in that area of the world. that is something that we are open to. the child that we are pursuing has downs syndrome. >> even though the process is

nearly complete, the moyers who live in georgia are facing the russian parliament that approved the bill to bar american couples from adopting russian children. president putin indicated he will sign it into law. >> if it really happens, those families are not going to be able to adopt the kids even if all the legal processes already have been in place. much more important, let's focus on the children. what it means is the children will remain institutionalized. >> some see the russian bill as retaliation for a law that places financial restrictions on russians accused of human rights violatio violations. it has visas on travel to the united states. according to statistics, the number of russian children adopted by american couples has decreased in the last few years. in 2004, the number was more than 5800 compared to only 962 last year. over the last 20 years,

americans have adopted more than 60,000 russian children, more than any other country. >> we are committed to supporting intercountry adoptions. the welfare of children is simply too important to be linked to political aspects of our relationship. >> the bottom line is that it is cultimately the children will suffer because there not enough families willing to adopt. >> there by some estimates, 700 or 750,000 orphans in institutions in russia. they don't have that many families stepping up. >> the need is great for children with special needs. >> we rely on the faith and our hope in jesus christ. that will get us through this. it would be devastating for those kids. >> the moyers have two biological children, both boys and one adopted american girl. they say their children are just waiting for their brother to come home. >> the moyers are not just

waiting for a court date that would finalize the process which is expected to happen within a month. it is not clear whether the bill as written applies to the couples who are already in the process of adopting a russian child. >> when are the family wants to adopt a child, it is hard to get there and not be able to do it. it's terrible. >> they already consider him their son. it's a matter of time. >> thank you. appreciate your reporting. as we come to the end of 2012, who are the hot trends for the new year. we will preview what you can expect in 2013. what you can expect it to bring from food to toys. make a wish! i wish we could lie here forever. i wish this test drive was over, so we could head back to the dealership. [ male announcer ] it's practically yours. test drive! but we still need your signature. volkswagen sign then drive is back. and it's never been easier to get a jetta.

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. >> we can't predict the future or at least most of us can't. we can make very educated guesses about what to expect in

2013. so -- crystal ball reader and sorcerer, he has a smile, but he is skeptical. >> speaking with experts, does that mean you are a warlock? >> here's what happened. this is really interesting. one of the brilliant producers said what do we know? what are the trends? i don't know. here's what i did. i reached out to experts at cnn including the section editors who follow things like travel and food and money, look what we know about 2013 and got interesting answers. we will start with the world of business and your money. we can expect a continued rebound in housing. according to our cnn money team, record low rates and a drop in foreclosures led to rising prices and expect a rebound in the auto industry. more good news there. increased oil and gas production. they overtake saudi arabia in the coming years. now let's move on from

technology and how it could change our lives. >> this is interesting as well. every time apple has that -- >> go apple. >> the psychological condition for people who have to have the newest thing. i'm sure we will see that again. the tablets, they are expected to change the world more. a bunch of experts telling me along with what more and more people have it, sou rk, how muc have, the more people use tablets, the more employees will learn where you are. more are getting the technology to find out where you are using tablets to check in on work. they will have more information about you as well. this took me by surprise. our travel folks thing. and already knowing where the hottest cities are to live this year. liverpool, corsica, istanbul,

and a city in austria. >> istanbul? come on, it's istanbul. >> it's really hot. the bookings are up. more and more people are going there. now, this one i just have to basically read you the notes because our brilliant editor, our flood blog, told me which foods are on the rise. we have this funky little video. take a look. she says southern dishes with southern ingredients are taking off. >> look at that. >> tater tots. and then she says, nonalcoholic drink. which part do you like there? >> i like the southern food. when i was a kid and -- no, the other things -- not so much? >> not so much. >> you might like this one, though. there's one kind of exercise that is taking off and becoming more and more popular. probably because of the economy. it's from the american college and sports medicine, weight

training. you don't have to go to a gym. >> you don't have to leave your house. >> that's why things like p90x, they are self-contained. >> some of the things that you buy, the dvds and stuff, you need a little bit of equipment but body weight training, you don't. expect more toys made in america. there is a website that points to new technologies like 3-d printing and more websites are manufacturing things based on your order. they are very hopeful that we'll see more products made in america. tell us what you think. facebook, twitter, and we'll share those things with you. >> thank you, josh. appreciate it. >> we are a few minutes away from the top of the hour and candy crowley is here with a preview. >> don, around this time of the year, really slow, not so much

this year. every day -- you know how you count down to christmas, now we're counting down to the fiscal cliff. we'll be talking a lot about that today, including the health of former president george h.w. bush. >> candy crowley, we'll see you at the top of the hour. appreciate it. it's the end of one of the most popular comic books of all time. the amazing spider man has hit the shelves but some p controversial events have caused the comic to be in a frenzy. [ male announcer ] it's that time of year again. time for citi price rewind.

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this is some of the most incredible video that we've seen in a long time. all right? if you're not looking at the video, this is new surveillance video out of china. it's the moment that an enormous shark tank just explodes. this is? the shanghai mall, this glass aquarium home to three lemon

sharks and turtles final suddenly shatters. water goes flying there. none of the sharks or turtles survived. 16 people, again, were hurt. it's incredible. you know, there is a lot of fuss, but also a lot of phrase for the 700th issue of the amazing spider man comic book. it just hit stores. ed it feedback, some of it not so much. not so pretty. and that's why we have -- we coralled kareen wynter to show us what is going on. what is going on here? >> people are furious. but let's not get too worked up about the story line, don. sure, marvel has killed off peter parker, or sort of, in the 700th issue. dr. octupus implants his

personality into parker and decides to take up the role of spider man. some fans are just outraged by this plot line. in a similar move, they did the same thing by killing off peter parker. this is set in a parallel world and spidy's fans have been just as angry when a story line undid his marriage. mind boggling, right? nothing set in stone in the comics. it's just ink and paper. people should simmer down a little bit. >> we need to go to mitch mcconnell who is speaking. let's take a look. >> a bipartisan agreement literally for months. a plan that would simplify the tax code, shrink the deficit, protect the taxpayers, and grow the economy. but democrats consistently rejected those offers. the president chose, instead, to

spend his time on the campaign trail. this was even after he got re-elected. and congressional democrats sat on their hands. now, republicans have bent over backwards. we stepped way, way out of our comfort zone. we wanted an agreement. but we had no takers. the phone never rang and so now here we are five days from the new year and we might finally start talking. democrats have had an entire year to put forward a balanced bipartisan proposal. and if they had something to fit the bill, i'm sure the majority leader would have been able to deliver the votes the president would have needed to pass it here in the senate. and weapon wouldn't be in this